Karius aims to hang on to title as Pool’s No. 1
Liverpool’s Loris Karius will return from a short international-week working break, in Miami, ready to shore up his new status as the club’s No.1 keeper.
The German has kept five clean sheets in his last seven outings after ousting Simon Mignolet as Jurgen Klopp’s first choice.
Karius joined the Reds with a huge reputation at the start of last season, but was dropped following a series of gaffes and didn’t play a Premier League game after Christmas.
Klopp rotated his keepers earlier this term with Karius being used primarily for cup matches. But with two massive Champions League encounters with Manchester City, and a battle for the top four to come over the next few weeks, the £4.7m purchase from Mainz is clearly in the driving seat.
“You cannot achieve clean sheets on your own, but playing every week is a good thing f or a goalkeeper,” says the 24-year-old.
“We are working well together as a defence, and much of that comes from spending minutes together on the pitch.
“I am happy with some good personal performances, but we are improving as a team, especially at the back. Our recent record speaks for itself.”
Klopp has consistently backed Karius, despite the club being linked with potential replacements, including Roma’s Alisson, AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Stoke’s Jack Butland.
“Earlier in the season I was playing mainly Champion League games, and didn’t have much to do in some of them,” Karius adds.
“It can help you get noticed better if you have more to do, so it was a bit frustrating. But I’m not going to complain because my team-mates were keeping the opposition out.
“But when you play week in, week out, it is more likely that you will have games where you have more to do.
“The Premier League is a tough league and it is not very often where you have little to do.
“It is good to know that if I do make a mistake, then I don’t have to wait three or four weeks for my next match.
“Having trust from the manager is important for any player. But, as a goalkeeper, it is good to have that trust because sometimes you have to take certain risks.”
Liverpool head to struggling Crystal Palace next Saturday lunch-time, in the first Premier League fixture after the international break, with Karius insisting the Reds are still on course to finish in second place.
“There are still a lot of games to play and it could easily go to the last game of the season,” he adds.
“Our aim is to finish first at some point, but we have to accept that this season finishing second would be a great achievement.”